An e.s.r. study of copper(II) complexes of N-hydroxyalkylsalicylideneimines

X-band e.s.r. spectra of copper(II) complexes of empirical formula Cu(Sal.NCH2CH2O)X (where X= H2O, py or Cl) and Cu(Sal.NCH2CH2CH2O)]2 (Sal.N= OC6H4CHN) in solid and solution states at room temperature and at 77K are reported. In frozen solution at 77K the spectra show axial symmetry with a dx2−y2 ground state. The in-plane π-bonds show a moderate degree of covalence, while the out-of-plane π-bonds possess ionic character. The orbital populations of these complexes are 70.9, 81.3, 93.3 and 82.4% respectively, indicating a dx2−y2 ground state. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.